Before And After: Pine Hutch In Annie Sloan Chalk Paint

So my adventures with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint continue, this time with old white.


We travelled to my parents place for the long weekend, they live 2 1/2 hours away and while Tony and my dad started their long awaited bathroom renovation and my mum cooked/washed/looked after the girls...I de-oranged some of their furniture.

Yep, even my parents have plenty of orange pine and I had four days to get through it.

Seemed like plenty of time but by the end I was exhausted!



Mainly because of this -

My apologies for the terrible pics...its the best I could do at the time ;-)



This one started off like this -

You can barely see those mandarin's can you? They just blend right in with the orange pine ;-)

We removed the doors on the top half to create open shelves so that you can actually see what's up there and maybe even (heaven forbid) use it!
I know it means more dust, but for me, I'd rather see my stuff - even with dust on it - than hide it away so that you can't even tell if its dusty or not, let alone see it ;-) I actually didn't have to twist mum's arm...well, not much. She trusts me.

And we all agree it looks much, much better minus the doors.

I had to put the existing knobs back on as we didn't have any (or access to any) cool ones, but Mum will be able to do that herself when she gets some.


Wanna see some progress shots?

This is the base with one coat on. AND I did absolutely no prep on this!

I cleaned it and that was it.

I wanted to show you my new favorite brush. I pretty much use it on everything now! It gets into nooks and cranny's like on these drawers and works beautifully on flat surfaces too. I've used it with other paint as well, and it spreads it out with better coverage, which I love.
I got it at Mitre 10 and it was $14. Its called a detail and finishing brush and the brand is Monarch. Love it!! I haven't used the Annie Sloan brush I got for painting, only for applying the soft wax, and I'm sure its beautiful to paint with too. :-)

I also painted my parents' coffee table -

These all got three coats of old white, a little distressing and clear soft wax to protect them.
And by the end I was left with...

I have done another small piece in old white too before these. So it has gone a long way! I'll share that piece as soon as it's properly finished. :-)
I had hoped that two coats would be enough, but it wasn't quite. I  like really solid coverage unless I'm going to heavily distress a piece. Any other time I've used a white paint - even with primer - I've used four coats so ASCP is still better in the coverage department.

That orange pine doesn't like to go down without a fight!!


You may have seen some duck egg drawers in the progress pics above?
I had a little dilemma with those so I need to ask a few questions and I'll get back to posting those later when I've worked a few things out.


It's almost the weekend again and I'm having my hair coloured tomorrow (Saturday)...yay!!
Nothing too radical though, I'm afraid ;-)

What are you up to?

Have a good one, whatever you do!


Courts xx

Annie Sloan Chalk Paint - My First Project: A Bedside Table

Sorry.

I'm so sorry I've been MIA for the last few weeks...I have had a case of the winter blues which sometimes stops me in my tracks a little, but luckily for me I have some wonderful bloggie friends who took the time to ask how I am and listened to me bang on a while and reassured me that I'm not alone.
So a big thank you to Karen and Catherine for lifting me up when I really needed it. xx



But enough of all that, lets get onto some exciting extrovert stuff!!

A month or two ago, I got an email from my friend Catherine from Paisley Vintage asking if I'd heard from anyone about Annie Sloan Chalk Paint launching in Australia. 

Well no I hadn't, so she promptly forwarded on the email to which (long story short) ended with me being given these amazing products to try...

And try them I have!!

But before I get into my first project, I want to introduce you to Annie Sloan Chalk Paint - just in case you haven't heard of it before. Feel free to scroll down if you already know all about it...I'll allow it ;-)

Annie Sloan invented her chalk paint over 20 years ago and is a versatile paint that is easy to work with as it sticks to just about any surface - wood, metal, matt plastic, terracotta etc. and rarely requires surface preparation. There are 30 shades and all can be intermixed.
For more detailed info you can click here or even try here!

At this stage there are no stockists in Victoria, but it can be bought online. For a full list of  Australian and New Zealand stockists click here.

This is the first piece I've done and belongs to a gorgeous client who is about to move house (and have baby number two!) and this will be one of their bedsides in the master bedroom. It was made by her father-in-law many moons ago, so it's extra special!


This is what it looked like before -

It had been painted a light grey colour a while ago and we kept the existing knob...how cute is it?!

As this was my first project with ASCP, I really wanted to slap it on as fast as I could without prepping to see how it went!
But I didn't.
I tapped into my patience that lives somewhere under a rock inside myself and this is what I did. :-)

The piece was a little rough to the touch so I gave it a good sand to get it nice and smooth. This step probably took me a good ten - fifteen minutes and I just used my mouse sander with 180 grit paper, after I'd taken all hardware off (knob and hinges) of course!

I then gave it two coats of duck egg, which went on easily and with great coverage. Its quite thick, which I like - but you can add a little water if you prefer a thinner concistency. Alternatively you can make it thicker just by leaving it sit with the lid off for a bit.

The next day I gave it a light sand with my 320 grit sanding block to make it smooth. I only did this lightly, it didn't need much as it stayed quite smooth from me sanding prior to painting. Bonus!
We'd decided against any distressing as we both felt it wouldn't really suit this piece.
The next step was giving it a good clean and then waxing with soft wax in clear and um...I'm kinda in love with this wax!!!
It's so easy to apply and the finish is almost like glass. It really goes super smooth.
I used the brush that I was given to apply it and after a bit of practice, I love that too!
It made applying the wax in a thin coat so much easier, as I tend to get a little heavy handed. I then buffed it with a clean, soft cloth which gives it a beautiful sheen.

This paint gives a beautiful texture to furniture and the soft wax enhances that. Check out the close up-

That's my three year old's hand,  I think she liked touching it too! ;-)

So it is really smooth to touch and yet is quite textural. I didn't know if this was because this piece had been painted underneath, but I've since done more pieces that weren't painted and the same thing happened!
I like it! Mind you, this look is obviously not going to suit every single piece of furniture you or I come across, but for the right piece it looks amazing! And for the least amount of effort, another bonus!!

So do I prefer Annie Sloan Chalk Paint over my DIY chalk paint?

Great question!

And my answer is...so far, yes I do!
It is really beautiful quality paint that is not at all gritty - which is one thing you get with DIY chalk paint - and the colours are gorgeous too and all intermixable so you can custom mix a colour.
Sometimes when buying paint to mix into DIY chalk paint, you only need a sample pot and depending on where you shop, the quality is not always there. (I always get the good stuff, never fear!)

The only downfall to me is that stockists are limited at this stage and I need to order online which would be hard for this impatient girl. ;-)


As for the soft wax?
I love, love it! I'd choose it over beeswax now as it's much easier to apply (it's softer) and just seems to get a little more smoother/glassier than beeswax. You can apply it with a soft cloth, the brush just makes it easier to get into nooks and crannys etc. But it isn't a necessity.


So have you/would you try ASCP?

What do you think?


Stay tuned for more project reveals!!


Take care,

Courts xx


*Disclaimer - I was not paid for this post but I was provided with product to try. All opinions are most definitely my own.

Sneak Peek: What Doesn't Make It On The Blog Part Two

It's back!!

Another look at what I get up to OTHER than redesigning furniture. 

Oh who am I kidding?!! Over half of these pics are furniture related...I guess its obvious what I'm passionate about! ;-)

Looking back at my posts...most of them are furniture Before and Afters, which is great, but I thought you may like to see what else I get up to (as well as ONE Before and After just for you). :-)


Here we go...

Some finished dining chair backs I've been doing in this gorgeous Warwick fabric. There are 10 chairs!!

At the movies...I had the whole place to myself!! I watched the new Star Trek and it was really good, surprisingly!

I picked up two of these retro stools recently at an op shop, perfect for our kitchen island...and teak!!

A good friend of mine from Adelaide came to stay over my birthday weekend and we took the girls to the nearby zoo for a day. This is her feeding a wallaby, so cute!!

Tone and I pulled off all our weatherboards where the paint had blistered (18 months later!) and it now has new weatherboards put on and is ready for paint. Guess who gets to do that ;-)

A close up of something I've been working on.

An ombre cake I made for our youngest's third birthday. It was a kind of practice run for the one I'll be making for her party this Saturday.

Last but not least...a chair before



and after!

There you have it.

A taste of what else goes on around here...and also why I've been a little slack on the blogging front. :-)

Hope you are having a wonderful week,


Courts xx

Before And After: Side Table In Abigail Ahern/Murobond Notting Hill

Way back in November I think it was, I did a Masterclass with Abigail Ahern - which you can read about here if you're interested - and was given a goodie bag which contained a sample pot of Notting Hill.
This paint was a collaboration between Abi and Murobond, and I gotta say...I love, love this colour!!


What do you think?

I was given this little retro side table (Thanks Karl!) and it had been painted brown in the past which I stripped off, sanded and then went to town with my Notting Hill.
Here's the before -

I also changed the handle over to a bone, striped one that I found locally.

I think you'll agree, after scrolling through the many glorious photos I've provided you with, that this one is now modern, useable and just plain cute ;-)

Oh and this one is sealed with satin poly, which is why it has a lovely little gloss to it. Yes I ventured away from my usual beeswax for this one. I also did not make chalk paint for this one either!
Will wonders never cease?!

Hope Your weekend is covered with awesome sauce!! ;-)


Courts xx

PS. Its for sale!!

Before And After: DIY Chalk Paint In Mint - Shelves

Oh chalk paint, how I love you.

The plan for this piece was to heavily distress the mint paint work and change out the hardware to bone knobs which I found locally.

It turned out perfectly and I'm so happy with it - hopefully it's owners are too;-) This colour was the subtlest of the choices I suggested and I think it's perfect and will work well with the neutral colour scheme they have.

It was bought originally a few years ago - possibly 10-15 - and was a rustic piece with surfaces that were rough and its joins were imperfect, but all meant to be that way.

Before:

But now its smooth as silk to touch and still a little rustic but in a more modern way.

I also painted the wooden bench in an almost white color and sealed with beeswax.
This bench was made by a local 'mens shed' and had already been primed, which made it an easy one ;-)
These two will be in an entry way together in a gorgeous, brand spankers new home!!

My Fast Six Deets

1. Clean the piece first for maximum paint adhesion. I have an air compressor always on hand so I use that to blow any dust/webs etc away, then go over with a baby wipe or two. Yes I do ;-)

2. Mix up a batch of DIY chalk paint in the desired color.

3. Paint on two coats of chalk paint - allowing it to dry of course and a really light sand in between coats.

4. Use 240 grit sand paper on a mouse sander and go over the whole piece, except for the ply back. I used the mouse because I wanted to heavily distress it but still have a little control over it, an orbital would have been too powerful and I would have lost that control.

5. Re-sanded over areas where I wanted more of the timber to show through, still using the mouse with 240 grit.

6. Applied beeswax, let it touch dry then rub off with a clean cloth. Smooth as silk!!

Any questions? I won't shoot you, I promise;-)

Seriously, email me any questions you may have with a project you are or want to do. Photo's are always helpful, saves you having to type a novel!

I'm happy to help.

Courts xx

Giveaway Winner!!

Congratulations to the lovely Kylie from Lucy Violet Vintage who is the winner of three of these gorgeous bulb decals!!

I used Random.org to pick out the winner for me and these are going to a beautiful home. Kylie almost subscribed to real living too, just to get these decals!

Congrats Kylie! Enjoy!!


Courts xx

Our Home Tour Part Two: The Office

Welcome to part two of our home tour - the office!

Our office - like every other room at our place - is a work in progress. You'll only see one side of the room at this stage as the other side is pretty much the girls toys. Not that pretty to look at and lets face it...we just want to look at pretty pictures right?!

We plan to reclaim the other side of the office back from the girls. Its kind of turned into a playroom which was never the intention but...go with the flow and all that. :-)

It was always going to be a library/office and that is still the plan...one of these days!

Anyway - enjoy!!

My side

Tony's side

  

Yes that is a beautiful, antique oval table that has been cut in half for our desks! It was one of the first things we did when the house extension was complete. And it was completely un-planned!
I found the table at my favorite antique shop and had no idea where/what I was going to do with it, but I just had to have it :-) I paid about $400 for it, which is a lot for me and as soon as I got it home (2 1/2 hour drive!) I knew what its purpose would be. And now it's one of my favorite things in the house!

For the record, I do not class this as orange pine (my pet hate)! It's really old and is possibly kauri or baltic pine. It has so much wear and character that just isn't found on 80's orange pine furniture. I could never paint over that :) The legs are made out of a completely different timber, not sure what that is. They are almost mahogony-ish?
Anyway, its a unique piece/s and I'm all about the one-offs ;-)
(I felt I needed to explain that seeing as I tend to go on about orange pine a tad!)

Oh and if you missed part one of our house tour, you can see that here.


Hope you're weekend is going swimmingly!



Courts xx